Climate Action Conference

Cal Poly’sCity & Regional Planning Department, in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), hosted the third California Climate Action Planning Conferenceon Thursday and Friday, Aug. 24-25, 2017. Over 240 climate and energy professionals from around the state attended the conference including Cal Poly students and faculty. The conference featured leaders in the field and an in-depth focus on greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate adaptation at the local and regional level.

Ken Alex, Director of the Governor's Office of Planning and Research, who opened the conference via video, said that California is “really at the cutting edge of what is going on in climate change response, in the world…We are one of the originators of the Under 2 Coalition which is now almost 200 jurisdictions around the world fighting climate change.”

In addition to Mr. Alex, City of San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon and the Chief of Energy and Sustainability at the California State University Chancellor's Office, Aaron Klemm, also provided opening remarks for the conference.

Dr. Michael R. Boswell and Dr. Adrienne Greve are the conference organizers and continue to position Cal Poly as a leader in educating future climate professionals. In addition, they have assisted numerous local and state agencies in the preparation of climate actions plans and other technical plans for addressing the climate crisis. Often these projects involve students who are able to gain hands-on training in the field. Several graduates of the program presented at the conference and are now demonstrating their leadership.

“California continues to be an innovator in addressing the climate crisis,” said Michael R. Boswell, professor of city and regional planning and the conference director. “We are bringing the leaders in the field to Cal Poly to share best practices and inspire each other to create low-carbon, resilient communities.”